Lansing Township Supervisor Kathy Rodgers said in a statement the township has deemed the home on the 1700 block of Autumn Lane unsafe for occupancy "in accordance with the township's ordinances."
Rodgers added she's awaiting word from the Ingham County Health Department to determine if the home could eventually be torn down.
About 60 of the 99 cats found alive in the home on Wednesday have since been euthanized because of poor health, and the investigation into the criminal case is nearing a close, Ingham County Animal Control Director Andy Seltz said.
Officials removed at least 124 cats from the home, and 25 were found dead, Seltz said. The cats were exposed to high levels of ammonia released from the breakdown of their own urine.
Officials checked the home Monday to make sure it's boarded up, but aren't in a position at this time to decide if it could be condemned for health reasons, said Amanda Darche, a Health Department spokeswoman.
Lansing Township Police Chief Kay Hoffman said the house has been red-tagged because it was "not fit for habitation" and has an uncertain fate. Officers have tried to keep the home secure, but have noticed signs of break-in attempts from "someone, possibly former residents," Hoffman said.
"It's like any abandoned home," Hoffman said. "If people want to get it, they're going to get in."
It's unclear what immediate health risks the home poses for Groesbeck neighborhood residents. Hoffman said a cleanup company is expected to meet with the home's out-of-state owner or a representative soon to see if anything is salvageable.
Seltz said he plans to send a report to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office this week that recommends criminal charges be filed.
"We're pushing for it," Seltz said of charges. "This is something you can't turn a blind eye to."
Amanda Lenore Price, 22, was taken into custody at the home Wednesday. While she has not been charged in the Lansing Township case, she faces a misdemeanor charge of animal abandonment or cruelty in connection with an incident in August of last year in East Lansing.
Authorities allege she failed to adequately care for two or three animals in that incident. She was released from custody on a personal bond with a condition she not have pets of any kind.
Seltz said he hopes some of the surviving cats now being boarded at the shelter will be available for adoption by week's end. Several cats are "day-to-day" with conditions including ear mites, herpes, skin infections, respiratory infections and eye deformities, he said.
Both Seltz and Hoffman estimate the entire investigation could cost Lansing Township and Ingham County at least $10,000.
A two-person crew with masks went through seven oxygen tanks over a period of about seven hours to get cats out of the home in what Seltz described as a brutal scene, and veterinarian care and medicine has been a major expense in the days since the incident.
On Wednesday evening, the shelter was near capacity, Seltz said, after the animals were rescued.
While the agency is encouraging adoptions of animals unrelated to the Lansing Township incident, to help free up space in the shelter, donations of "anything cat-related" or cash can be made to the shelter, 600 Curtis St. in Mason.
The shelter is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For information visit ac.ingham.org or call (517) 676-8370. Or donations to the shelter can also be made at donateingham.org/icac.
The shelter's Adopt-A-Fest at Potter Park, a two-day event that started Friday, generated a record 27 cat adoptions and 31 dog adoptions.
(Freep - June 16, 2015)
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